Hello? Hello? Are you there?

Yes, the Wheeler family is still here and plans to continue in the land of blogging.  My computer has been at the bottom of the priority list for the last couple of months...it still is, but I finally seem to have the energy (and in turn the time due to the fact that I'm not sound asleep) to actually get on the computer tonight.  There is LOTS to catch up on and since I like to keep things in chronological order, you'll have to wait for the Christmas photos and stories!


After reading the end of my last post, I thought I should record the end of the ear infection drama...the amoxicillin didn't take care of the ear infection.  We ended up at the doctor again after about 10 days.  This time we got cephalex which is also in the penicillin family.  This did cause Elijah to break out in hives (nothing serious, they kind of came and went).  So we went back to the doctor AGAIN...this time a z-pak was prescribed (not in the penicillin family).  This seemed to help and caused no adverse reactions.  Whew!  Elijah was finally himself again!


On a more postive and exciting note, the NCWC Battling Bishops won their next two games and became CONFERENCE CHAMPS!  They headed to Wesley for the first round of the DIII playoffs and lost a tough game (mostly they lost the 2nd half but I guess both halves count).  It truly was a great season and Matt (and the rest of the guys) have lots to be proud of!  I can't believe another season has come and gone.  As much as we love football season, it sure has been nice to have Matt around a little bit more!


The photos that follow are from mid-November (just before EJ's 10 month bday).  Belle definitely is the BEST dog in the whole world.  She is so good with Elijah and has adjusted well to someone else getting all the attention in the house.  Elijah adores her and I just know they will be best of friends in the years to come!

Stay tuned for the next post...we have LOTS more to share and some really exciting news!

Our Little Elelphant

Isn't he cute! This was actually the day we bought the costume...

Halloween was a busy day! EJ and I headed to Smithfield, NC to do a little shopping at the outlet mall and then continued to the Bishops game vs. Methodist in Fayetteville, NC. The Bishops got another W! Elijah is such a trooper on these trips! He zonked the entire 90 minute ride home.

When we got back to Rocky Mount we stopped by Renae's house to "trick-or-treat" and partake in some wonderful food! Elijah was excited to see Chloe, Noah, and Andrew -- his new friends, as well as Miss Janet, Mr. David, and Holly.

Holly and EJ! She's such a great big "sister"!

Noah, Chloe, Andrew, Holly, and EJ -- posing for a picture!

We didn't leave the costume on for long....Elijah could not wait to play with Chloe (she's a month older than him).

What a LONG day but we still played before bed....actually, can you guess what he was doing in this picture? Don't you just love his BAT pjs?

Nighty, night! Those eyes just get me everytime!

Do you think it is already almost time for a haircut?

Little did I know that EJ's runny nose over the weekend was actually the first sign of a double ear infection. We had ROUGH Sunday and Monday nights -- poor Elijah (and poor mommy (& daddy too)). I stayed home with him on Monday morning...he seemed okay during the day other than a snotty nose that had turned to green rather than clear. I was pretty sure that it was an ear infection mainly because he did not want me sticking the thermometer in his ear to take his temperature. Tuesday morning we saw Dr. Brantley and it definitely was an ear infection in BOTH ears. We got some amoxicillin and it seemed to kick in immediately! Thank goodness. I was very nervous about giving him this since I am allergic. The only side effects have been loose stools and a nasty rash on his hiney -- either from the loose stools or yeast from the antibiotic. He seems to be doing much better although his nose is still running. His appetite has returned somewhat and the nights have been quieter.

Last night we went to see Holly perform in a musical. She did so awesome and the whole thing was very entertaining and very well done! Elijah loved the music and people! Some how he managed to fall asleep near the end despite the very loud music, clapping, and screaming.

Today was another successful day for the Bishops! A 38-28 win over Shenandoah on senior day. One more conference game at Averett...this one will be for all of the marbles!

9 Months Old

Elijah turned 9 months old on the 16th. Sooo hard to believe! He's growing and changing so quickly. He had a well check up on his 9 month birthday and weighed in at 20.1 pounds (50th %) and was 29.5 inches long (90th%). This is the same measurement as last appointment for his length -- I was quite sure they had measured him wrong the last time and evidently I was right. He's healthy and happy -- what more could we ask for? He also got a flu shot -- such scary times with so much sickness being talked about! I pray we all stay healthy!

He's definitely becoming an independent little guy. He's crawling and pulling up everywhere now. He's really started to jabber a lot more in the last week or two. "Ba" is his favorite phrase along with "Eh". He loves to point, look at the pictures that are displayed around the house, and throw the ball amongst other things. He is an independent eater -- he'd completely feed himself if I'd let him -- just not sure we are quite ready for that!

A few pictures from the last 3 weeks...

Post game celebration! Keep up the good work, daddy!
I made it through the game, but now I'm ready for a nap! Soooo sweet!

EJ with the star QB and best "O" coordinator we know!

I LOVE this football!

Soooo HAPPY!

CRAWLING through my tunnel...

The Pumpkin Farm

A couple of weeks ago, Elijah, Holly, and I went to a local pumpkin farm! It was a gorgeous Sunday evening and we had such fun looking at all of the farm animals and pumpkins!

Elijah LOVES pumpkins. We sit on the front step often and "play" with the pumpkins.

At the grocery store this week, he spotted the pumpkins and pointed and "ehh"ed. I gave him one to hold while we shopped. While trying to decide what baby food to buy, I looked up and sure enough he was taking a bite out of his mini pumpkin! I freaked out, of course, but despite a little choking, the pumkin hasn't seemed to have had any other negative effects. When I took the pumpkin away, he screamed and screamed. We quickly found something else for him to "hold" and finished our shopping. In this same trip to the store, we found Elijah also has a love for balloons. He could not help himself but to point and point and point at the ballons flying above his head throughout the store and especially at the check out line!

A few pictures from the pumpkin farm! Enjoy!

More Video!

I hope you enjoy! Elijah is officially crawling as of today so hopefully we can get that captured soon!

Elijah's New Skill

Change, Changes, Changing

Wow, I can hardly keep up with Elijah these days. That sentence has meaning that is two-fold. One - I literally can't keep up with him because he's crawling all over! Two - I can't keep up with all of his changes!

Elijah has really blossomed in the last month! It is such a joy to watch him explore the world around him! He is becoming so independent!

ARMY crawling is his thing! He's quite good at it and can move prettily quickly when motivated! He has learned to go from belly to sitting. The first time I saw this was in the middle of the night. He was crying and I walked in and he was sitting in the corner of his crib. I just had to laugh. It was as if he was stuck sitting in the corner and crying because he was stuck. The first signs of pulling up have emerged as well. We finally moved his crib mattress to the lowest setting...just in time, I would guess!

He is waving hello and good-bye -- when he wants to. He is also pointing. He loves to point at Lauren's picture on the fridge! He points at his favorite things in the books we read ... cows, lambs, cats, and Elmo to name a few. This week he started to throw things and thinks it is quite entertaining...he likes to throw over and over and over again! In the bath tub, he is splashing and spinning and wanting to crawl or stand. He loves his bath toys and smiles as I present each one...Elmo, Cookie Monster, Ernie, rubber ducky (big and small), tugboat, empty soap container. He loves to put his hands in the air for several reasons....pat-a-cake, TOUCHDOWN, and "Sooo BIG." This week, I especially noticed that he has become a bit more vocal. He's never been a very vocal baby but he's been quite jabbery this week with lots of "oh"s and "ba ba ba"s among other babbles. He LOVES to eat and really likes to feed himself! He's had several new culinary experiences....macaroni and cheese & turkey and sweet potatoes in the baby food arena. Bananas, apples, cantaloupe, yogurt, cheese, cheerios, cheese puffs, cooked carrots, squash, and mashed potatoes in the non-baby food category....hmmm, I think that's it! Somebody loves to eat just like his daddy!

Well, I'm sure that I've left something out...but we'll get to the good stuff...PICTURES!

Tonight we attended the NCHS homecoming game! Elijah got to stay up way past his bedtime but had a blast! Here he is with his best bud, Noah!
This is also a picture from today. You can't tell but Elijah lunged off the couch and bumped his face today. Miss Janet caught him by his pants but his little check did get bumped. You could barely tell. He and Belle bumped heads earlier in the week leaving a little bruise as well. This is only the beginning of the BUMPS and BRUISES ! It obviously didn't bother him much as he appears quite happy in this picture! By the way, he makes this funny new scrunched up face and laughs ... his laugh sounds like he is sniffing. It is adorable!

Miss Janet and Holly were trying out some new hair styles! :-) Those eyes are so piercing that you don't even notice his hair, huh!?

Here is that adorable new face again! LOVE IT!!!

He can really move now! He is very good at "sweeping the floor!"

"I'm coming to get that camera, mommy!" I LOVE electronics!

This is my friend Ragedy Andy. He was daddy's friend when he was a baby. He makes me smile!

Waving "hello"!

This laundry basket is pretty fun!

My best friend in the whole world! I have such fun with playing with Holly and she takes such good care of me!

Here we are again after the NCWC win versus Salisbury. I tried to make it to the end but just couldn't!